Heart of Gold by Lacy Williams

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Title: Heart of Gold
Author: Lacy Williams
First Published: July 2011
Published By: Unknown
Format Read: Kindle for PC
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian Fiction, Western, Short Story
Read: March 18 2015
Rating: 2.5/5

The pain of being sent away by her father to live with an aunt, as a child still runs deep for Opal. Now a young woman, she finds comfort in helping out at an orphanage. However the doors to the struggling orphanage may close for good due to lack of funds, so Opal takes it upon herself to get the money needed. She travels from Omaha to her father’s secluded ranch in Wyoming expecting gold. Set in 1902, this novella also follows the point of view of Charlie a ranch hand who is enlisted by his boss (Opal’s father) to make sure she stays with them. Danger and romance ensues. 

I added this book to my Kindle for PC quite some time ago, but it only came to the top of my TBR list now. I didn’t even re-read the novella’s description before jumping right in, so it was purely coincidence that this plot had one similarity to the previous book I read: A Home for My Heart by Anne Mateer: the fact that they were both about two women trying to save an orphanage. Funny, but looking back to all the books I’ve read so far this year, they all have a similarity in one way or another. 

A few points of interest I found in Heart of Gold, was in the time period and Opal’s personality. I love to read about the early 1900’s, especially when it involves places I’m not familiar with such as this setting of Wyoming. As for Opal’s personality, I was pleasantly surprised to find a female protagonist that was strong willed and feisty, not flighty and fragile. Unfortunately she came across as quite snobby at first but I believe that was due in part to lack of knowledge about the character. Another bonus was that fact that Charlie was a cowboy. Need I say more? 

The first chapters in this novella were so fast paced, I felt that it was a bit rushed. In the end we do learn more about Opal and Charlie’s past, but it wasn’t enough for my liking. Perhaps it could have benefited from being just a tad bit longer, just to fill in some holes and give a better character development. I found it to be a decent past time, but not exactly memorable for me. In fact I had to go back over parts just to write up this review. 

Although it didn’t resonate with me, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fast paced romantic westerns. I would consider reading more from author Lacy Williams, but hopefully in a full length novel and not another short story.